Man attacked by panhandler near Forest Park

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- Panhandlers can be a common sight along Kingshighway, but a 54-year-old man was followed after refusing to give a man money.

"Usually they're not so aggressive, they're usually polite," said Emmanuel Watson, an area resident. "Usually after saying no one time they leave it alone."

Early Wednesday afternoon, the victim was approached by a panhandling suspect while walking along Kingshighway.

When he refused to give the man money, the suspect followed him to the intersection of Clayton and Euclid, where the man punched the victim in the head and stole his bag.

"This individual is obviously more than a panhandler, that's criminal activity when you assault someone," said Lyda Krewson, Alderman of the 28th Ward and is behind the city ordinance to regulate panhandling.

The city told News 4's Alexis Zotos there are new plans to combat the panhandling problem, but have not yet released any details.